Terry Crews in Edmonton to talk about men's role in preventing violence

Actor and activist Terry Crews will speak about the role that men can play to create a safer world for women and girls in front of an Edmonton crowd Wednesday evening.

Crews is a guest speaker at the Leading Change Summit, organized by the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS) from Feb. 19 to 21 at the Edmonton Convention Centre.

His blend of humour and honesty enables Crews to connect with his audience, said ACWS executive director Jan Reimer.

"He has overcome a lot of hardship himself and speaks about it very openly," Reimer said. "He talks about his own attitudes towards women and girls and how they've shifted."

The summit encourages people to think about how they can prevent gender based violence in their own lives.

Crews has been an outspoken advocate in that regard, she explained.

"He will talk about the power of change, how anyone can change, how people can make a difference and use their influence to impact lives."

Preventing violence against women starts with small acts, said Reimer, such as calling out sexist comments.

"People can do so many different things in terms of creating safe spaces," she said. "It's really about being intentional about it, and thinking about how you can make a difference."

Crews is known as an actor for his role as Sgt. Terry Jeffords on the popular American TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He also used to be a professional football player.

He was named Time magazine's Person of theYear in 2017 for speaking out — both to support the stories of female sexual assault survivors and to share his own story as a victim.